All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

I am shockingly late to the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and only just finished book one – All Systems Red. It was a lot of fun.

First, here’s the blurb:

“As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure.”

In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids for their own safety.

But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.

But when a neighbouring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

Is All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries Book One) any good?

I could keep this short and sweet and say, “Yup, it’s great.” Because it is.

I had heard of the book and seen it recommended, but just thought it would be something along the lines of Terminator told in first person. Which is something I am totally up for, but had never been in the right mood. It isn’t like that at all.

The main character is a very likeable cyborg with a full personality. It has hacked its own governance module but mainly uses this advantage to watch tv soaps. It is a bit fed up, searching for a purpose, and for reasons explained later, cynically calls itself a ‘Murderbot’.

The humour and characters really help drive the plot. But the subplots that question things like identity, purpose, and the nature of AI, take it to another level. Although short, the Murderbot really develops emotionally, and their journey is believable and entertaining.

As an added bonus, the story is pretty damned exciting too, with colonists being murdered, alien monsters, and more.

All Systems Red is the first Murderbot novella in a series of four. The four make up a satisfying arc, but the first one can be read as a standalone. There are also some longer books and related stories. In all, there are seven Murderbot books.

In case you’re deranged and don’t trust my infallible opinion, I should add that All Systems Red won: Nebula Award Winner for Best Novella, ALA/YALSA Alex Award Winner, Locus Award Winner for Best Novella, Hugo Award Winner for Best Novella, Philip K. Dick Award Finalist.

It is also a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

You can check out All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells by clicking on this.